Pat’s Run organizers ready for Saturday race crowds

By Martha Maurer | April 25, 2014 at 3:21 pmUPDATED: April 25, 2014 at 3:21 pm

PHOENIX — The 10th annual Pat’s Run is slated for Saturday morning and organizers are ready for the crowds.

“We’re going to provide water, Gatorade — not only on the course, but at the finish line — any unnecessary items like that, they can leave at home,” said Matt Wilson with the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Wilson said runners shouldn’t plan on bringing a lot with them because security will be tight.

“No type of large backpacks at all,” he said. “We will have security around the facility. We will have military personnel at all of our corrals.”

Roughly 35,000 runners are expected to flock to Tempe to participate in the race, which Michelle McCarthy, director of brand and communication for the Pat Tillman Foundation, said is another best for the race.

“It’s looking to be a sellout, actually, this year,” she said. “We’ve had record numbers come out every year since the race was started in April 2005.”

The race is the primary fundraiser for The Pat Tillman Foundation, which provides scholarships to veterans and their families, McCarthy said. Since 2008 there have been 290 Tillman Military Scholars.